220: Chapter 22: The Crisis of the Mysterious Valley

Shen Xiaochuan walked at the very front. The snow underfoot was initially firm, crunching crisply with each step. The deeper they went, the ground gradually softened, like stepping on waterlogged cotton, sinking slightly with every stride. He stopped and looked back at the team.

Reyn followed about five paces to his right, his left hand pressed against the bandage on his chest, his face pale, his breathing slightly heavy. The Woman with Goggles had advanced twenty meters ahead with two Scouts, squatting in front of a clump of withered grass, conversing in low voices. The Azure Dragon Legion was in the middle, their spears slanted into the ground, their formation tight. At the very rear stood three Evil God Guards, their metal joints gleaming, their eyes continuously scanning the woods on both sides.

"How is it?" Shen Xiaochuan asked loudly.

The Woman with Goggles looked up: "There are traces! This patch of soil has been disturbed, as if it was just turned over."

Shen Xiaochuan frowned and quickly walked over. The surface of that patch of land looked similar to other areas, but the grass roots were exposed, and the breaks were fresh. He squatted down and touched the soil—it was damp, cold, sticky, and carried an indescribable strange smell.

"Something's wrong," he said.

Before his words fully fell, a layer of pale green mist quietly rose. The mist was not thick, like newly lit smoke, slowly spreading upwards from the valley floor. The wind was not strong, but the mist diffused close to the ground.

"Put on your gas masks!" Shen Xiaochuan immediately ordered.

Everyone moved quickly, but it was already too late. Two NATO Believers in front, closest to the mist, inhaled a breath and immediately bent over coughing, then their legs gave out, and they knelt on the ground. One of them grabbed his calf, his voice trembling: "Sting... something stabbed me!"

When Shen Xiaochuan rushed over, the man's pant leg was already soaked with blood. Lifting it, several blackish-brown bamboo thorns had sprung from underground, deeply piercing his muscle, and the area around the wound was turning bluish-gray, as if festering.

The other person was even more serious, twitching on the ground, foam at the corners of his mouth, his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.

"Seal off the area!" Shen Xiaochuan sternly shouted, "No one is allowed to approach them! Everyone retreat five meters!"

The Azure Dragon warriors quickly formed a line, spears outward, forming a semicircle. The Evil God Guards advanced, building a metal barrier around the injured.

"Where's the Medical Team?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

A gray-robed doctor ran over, just about to approach, but Shen Xiaochuan grabbed his wrist.

"Don't go over," he said in a low voice, "The trap might be linked. If you take one wrong step, you'll be the next one to fall."

The doctor immediately stopped, sweat beading on his forehead.

Shen Xiaochuan took out a detector and scanned from two meters away from the injured. The screen flickered a few times, displaying: [Neurotoxin Complex, high activity, unknown source]. He then tested the air, and the result was: [Abnormal bio-electric field fluctuation, intensity rating: perfect grade lower limit].

"It's not naturally formed," he murmured, "Someone is controlling it."

Reyn walked up beside him then, his voice low: "We've been hit."

"It's not just a trap," Shen Xiaochuan looked at the green mist, "This mist is poisonous, there are mechanisms on the ground, and someone is controlling the electric field. This isn't a beast's territory, but a man-made defense line."

"But why did it only injure those two?" Reyn pointed at the people on the ground, "The rest of us are unharmed?"

"Because they were at the very front and stepped on the first patch of loose soil," Shen Xiaochuan said, "This is a restricted area. Once triggered, there might be more to come. We are now caught between a rock and a hard place."

The Woman with Goggles hurried back, her helmet askew, sweat plastering her hair to her face. "I found seven suspicious spots, all with lighter colored soil, possibly traps. But..." she paused, "I can't be sure if I've found them all."

"No one can be completely sure." Shen Xiaochuan stood up and looked around at everyone. "Now listen to the order: Stop advancing! Prepare defenses in place! Azure Dragon Legion, set up shields to protect the injured; Evil God Guards, position yourselves on three sides, activate thermal imaging, and closely monitor the movements in the woods; Scouts, mark paths with pebbles, explore no more than five meters at a time, and strictly prohibit stepping on unconfirmed areas!"

The order was given, and everyone quickly executed it.

Spears were deeply plunged into the ground, shields were tightly interlocked, temporarily constructing a safe zone. The Evil God Guards' eyes glowed red, scanning the woods on both sides. The trees were twisted and crooked, their branches intertwined, their leaves long gone, leaving only dark silhouettes swaying in the mist.

"Look over there," Reyn suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the right.

Shen Xiaochuan looked in the direction he pointed, only to see a dark shadow flash through the depths of the woods, moving swiftly close to the ground, neither like a human nor a wolf.

"Something is circling," he said, "It's observing us."

"Should we make a move?" Reyn gripped his battle-axe.

"Don't move," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "We don't know the enemy's numbers right now, nor whether these traps are controlled by it. Acting rashly will only make the situation worse."

Just as he finished speaking, a strange noise came from the left. An Evil God Guard immediately turned, its mechanical arm raised, entering combat mode. The infrared image transmitted back—three heat sources, small in size, crawling close to the ground, gradually approaching.

"Not a large monster," Shen Xiaochuan stared at the screen, "Looks like some kind of insect."

"Do we need to clear them?" the Woman with Goggles asked.

"Wait," Shen Xiaochuan stared at the image, "They haven't attacked yet, they might be patrol sentries. The most important thing right now is to hold our ground, not to act recklessly."

A few minutes later, the three heat sources stopped fifteen meters away, no longer approaching, nor leaving.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

The two poisoned Believers continued to moan, their voices growing weaker. The doctor could only stand on the periphery, preparing medical kits, unable to provide aid.

"They won't last long," the doctor whispered.

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the spreading green mist, his brows tightly furrowed. He knew he had to make a choice, but at this moment, every step could be a dead end.

"Reyn," he suddenly spoke, "Have you ever seen a place like this before?"

Reyn gave a bitter smile: "We only have ice fields and ruined cities over there, I've never seen... such a meticulously designed terrain, specifically set up for killing."

"Then consider this our first lesson," Shen Xiaochuan's gaze was firm, "First, survive, then think about other things."

He turned to the Woman with Goggles: "You take people five meters further, use long poles to probe the path, absolutely no stepping on the ground. Mark every suspicious spot, especially areas with different soil colors or exposed grass roots."

"Understood." She nodded, called two Scouts, and retrieved two three-meter-long alloy poles.

The three lined up, gently poking the ground with the tips of their poles, advancing step by step. Each time a safe area was confirmed, a white pebble was placed on the ground.

Just ten meters out, the pole tip touched a soft patch of ground, and with a "snap," several bamboo thorns suddenly sprang out, shooting directly at the pole, almost piercing the Scout's hand.

"Mark it!" the Woman with Goggles shouted, "Third trap!"

Shen Xiaochuan noted the location, quickly deducing in his mind. The three traps were arranged in a triangle, eight meters apart, perfectly blocking a straight line. If the team had rushed forward just now, they would have almost certainly fallen into the ambush.

"This is guiding our route," he said, "The trap-setter doesn't want us to wander, they just want us to follow a designated path."

"What if we don't go that way?" Reyn asked.

"Then we wait to die," Shen Xiaochuan pointed to the injured, "The poison is spreading, they urgently need treatment. Our medicine is limited, we can't afford to waste time."

As he spoke, the Evil God Guard alarm blared.

"Moving targets detected behind!" the operator reported, "Six of them, approaching from the rear-diagonal!"

Shen Xiaochuan turned to look at the valley entrance—the original retreat path was blocked.

"They're not attacking from the front," he said, "They've circled around behind."

"Should we retreat?" Reyn asked.

"Can't retreat," Shen Xiaochuan stared at the screen, "They've cut off our escape route. Once we move, our formation will scatter, and we'll be pursued. We can only hold our ground now."

"But we can't stay here indefinitely!"

"I know," Shen Xiaochuan gritted his teeth, "But we first need to understand the rules here—who set the traps, why they were set, and what their purpose is."

He looked down at his palm; faith points were steadily increasing at one point per second. However, there were no antidotes or detection devices available in the store at the moment.

"We can only rely on ourselves," he whispered.

The Woman with Goggles ran back, her face pale: "We've marked eleven traps, all in a straight line. Other areas show no abnormalities. But I tried to deviate two meters from the path, and the ground vibrated, seemingly triggering other mechanisms."

"This means this path is the only way through," Shen Xiaochuan said, "But once we step on it, we'll be acting according to the opponent's rules."

"Then what do we do?" Reyn asked.

"First, control the risk," Shen Xiaochuan took a deep breath, "Everyone, tighten the defensive line, move the injured to the center. All Evil God Guards, return to your positions, guard on three sides. Scouts continue to probe the path, but no more than twenty meters. No one else is allowed to get injured."

The order was given, and the team quickly adjusted.

The shield formation contracted, and the injured were carefully moved to the center, covered with thermal blankets. The Evil God Guards redeployed, their feet embedded in the ground, standing more firmly. Scouts continued to mark traps on the periphery, their movements increasingly cautious.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on a rock, overlooking the entire team.

Ahead, the green mist grew thicker, like a giant net shrouding the depths of the valley. On both sides were eerie woods, hiding countless pairs of prying eyes. The retreat path behind them was blocked, and six unknown creatures were quietly approaching.

The splint on his left arm was a bit loose, causing a dull ache when it moved, as if bones were grinding. He paid it no mind, only gazing at the "safe path" marked by pebbles.

He knew that continuing might be a dead end, but if they didn't, they would eventually be annihilated.

"Captain!" an Azure Dragon warrior suddenly shouted, "There's movement in the woods!"

Shen Xiaochuan abruptly looked up.

From the depths of the woods on the right, behind a crooked tree, a dark shadow slowly emerged—it walked on four legs, its shell gleaming, its head shaped like a scorpion, its tail raised high, and venom dripped from its stinger.

It stopped ten meters away, motionless, and did not attack, merely watching them coldly.

Immediately after, another appeared on the left, and then more emerged from the rear, three, four...

"Eight in total," the Evil God Guard operator's voice was tense, "They've completed the encirclement, but haven't attacked yet."

"They're waiting," Shen Xiaochuan said, "Waiting for us to make a mistake."

Reyn walked up to him and asked in a low voice: "Do you think... they are guarding this valley?"

"Not guarding," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "They are gatekeepers. These things are the eyes and ears of a stronger entity."

He looked down at the detector; the electric field fluctuations in the air grew stronger, their frequency regular, as if transmitting some kind of information.

"Someone is watching us," he said, "Every move we make is being monitored."

The team fell silent.

The groans of the injured continued, growing weaker. The green mist slowly advanced, less than thirty meters from the defensive line.

"We can't wait any longer," the Woman with Goggles said, "If this continues, they will die."

"But if we move, we might trigger more traps," Reyn countered, "Then we'll die even faster."

"Then what do you suggest?" her voice rose, "Just watch them die?"

"Quiet," Shen Xiaochuan suddenly spoke.

The two immediately fell silent.

He stood on the rock, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally settling on the "safe path" marked by pebbles.

"We have to make a choice," he said, "Either gamble on whether this path leads to survival, or gamble on whether we can break through from the periphery."

No one responded. He knew no one dared to bet easily.

He raised his hand, pointing forward.

"Everyone listen," his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "We are stopped here now, neither advancing nor retreating. The injured need treatment, the enemy is encircling us, and traps could be activated at any moment. But we are still alive."

He paused briefly.

"Next, we won't charge or flee. Our primary task is to survive. Anyone with an idea, speak it now."

The team remained silent, but the atmosphere had changed.

No longer panic and fear, but beginning to think and judge.

He knew that at this very moment, this team had truly transformed into a force capable of fighting tough battles.

He looked down at the faith points pulsing in his palm.

One point, two points, three points... steadily increasing.

He said nothing, just gently stroked the copper gear pendant inside his collar.

In the distance, an armored monster slowly raised its tail, its venomous stinger precisely aimed at the center of the team.